Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-03
AN HEIR OF TURNER.
A House Painter OF Camden an Eng
lish Lord for Thirty Minutes.
From. The Mobile Reaister.

A House Painter OF Camden an Eng
lish Lord for Thirty Minutes.
| From the Mobile Register.
A telegram from Camden, Ala, printed
Sunday morning, announced the death,
by his own hand, OF Samuel Tep-
per, an old and respected citizen O: that
place. The deceased had most eventful
! history.
He came TO Camden in the torties and
| piled his vocation of house painter. He
was man OF the people in every sense,
| worked hard wnen he had anything TO do,
and drank hard in between times
| Whisky promised to get the better of
him, but about 1850 temperance
movement struck Camden and hit
| samuel Topper so hard that he stopped
| drinking.
In real RoodTomances the fairy comes
| in at this point and showers fame and for
| tune upon the man OF resolution, but here
is an exception. Topper stopped drink
| ing and became q good citizen, but no
| fame came along and he did not get rich.
In fact ne had hard trouble to get enough
to eat, and the fight between him and
poverty was carried on without any
change for more than twenty-five years.
| He was married man and had two
daughters. Que has married, while the
| other remains single. His wife died some
| years ago.
About 1873 Mr.. Godfrey Bloch, then
| travelling tor Messrs. LeInkauf& Strauss,
of this city, read in New York paper an
| advertisement asking for information con-
| corning Samuel Topper, who left England
| some lNrty years before, and who would
hear of something to his advantage if he
would communicate with so-and-so, at
torneys, etc., London, England. About
| the same time Mr.. Jacob Weiss, also of
this city, read the same inquiry, and both
| these gentlemen, in the order named, pro-
ceeded to tell Mr.. Topper that he was
wanted IN En- gland.
Then followed correspondence, the re-
| suit OF which was that Mr.. Topper pro-
ceeded to New York and took the steamer
for London. In the worlds metropolis he
| learned that he was her, through the
death of his brother, to a portion OF the
estate of the late Joseph Mallard William
| Turner,
THE FAMOUS ENGLISH LANDSCAPE
ARTIST,
who died IN 1851. The greater part of the
estate, consisting OF many paintings was
| already by will the property of the Eng
| llsh government, but there remained real
and personal property of great value, and
a partition among the heirs had been Or
dered. In this proceeding, Topper had
been advertised for, and he arrived IN
time to receive some 100000 worth OF
| property. He did not care 10 remain in
! England, and he had no fancy for living
| on the landed estate, so he resolved to
| transfer his lands to the other relatives
| and take solid cash in exchange.
| 1t seems that included in the estate
was O lot or parcel OF land that conferred
upon its owner IA title of nobility, but
| Topper was entirely ignorant OF the fact,
| until the barrister VINO was carrying out
the legal proceedings OF the transfer be-
gan calling him, "My Lord"
"On, 1etup on that" exclaimed Topper
| "We don't have that sort OF foolshness In
America"
| The lawyer insisted, however, that the
| title was a necessary part OF the proceed
| ings.
"Would My Lord be so kind as to put
| his finger there" said the obsequious
barrister, indicating the house painter
from Camden, Ala, was to touch the
ture was appended to the deed Of
| transfer,
"My Lord" condescended to put his
! finger upon the pen as requested.
"Thapll do. Tepper" said the barrister,
| dryly, and his lordship relapsed Instan-
taneously into his previous condition OF
republican simplicity.
| course, but was ever afterwards rather
fond OF telling how, once in his life, he
| was
FOR HALF AN HOUR LORD.
The transient dignity did not affect his
manners or character in the least, how
ever. lie was plain man, loved quiet,
had worked hard and knew that in peace
was the only pleasure. He came back
home with bag stuffed full OF money.
He brought also a number OF steel plates
of engrsvings of Turner's paintings, and,
IL is said, several OF the paintings also.
all OF which are at Camden. Mr.. Topper
did not care for such Things, however.
He SAID: Yes, there were lot OF paint
ings over there, but have no eye for
! them"
After his return to Camden he exhibited
n generous spirit. he lent his money
! freely TO those who had belriended him,
! and encouraged young men in industry.
He went into business himself Win Mr..
Henry Caster, but his health soon began
failing him, and he drew out. His tastes
were simple. By long habit he became
OF a saving disposition, so FAR as himself
was concerned, and he spent very little
money for his own comfort. 1T Is believed
that in spite of the large sums he gave
away and lost through kindness, he man
aged 10 save as much rs the original value
OF his Inheritance. 1t - Known that he
has $4,000 invested In United States
bonds, deposited in bank here in Mobile,
and that he has other investments in aud
around Camden. The life he led had Tor
many years been perfectly sober, upright
and good, and he deserved the title be-
slowed upon him in the special telegram,
respected citizen"
lie has been an invalid for some time,
and is said TO have suffered from soften
ing OF the brain. He was doubtless not
himself when he fred the pistol ball into
his forehead.